SUNDAY AM: Talk about a tired premise. It’s difficult to imagine a more overworked plot device than the body swap. But stick a tween dream like Zac Efron in this drivel — and suddenly the domestic box office dollars flow. So the New Line/Warner Bros’ 17 Again opened to $9.4 million Friday and $9.1 million Saturday from 3,255 theaters for No. 1 and a $24M weekend. After a successful Saturday Night Live hosting gig where he poked gentle fun at his fame and fans and sexuality, Zac has now staked a solid claim to a post-High School Musical career. (Disney is continuing the franchise without the original cast.) But the question still remains whether Efron can graduate to pics where he plays anyone older than a teen. But I wouldn’t write him off just yet as not having the eventual range of, say, Leonardo DiCaprio. Then again, no less than Cameron, Spielberg and Scorsese took Leo to the next level. Zac may never get opportunities to work with great directors.

Working Title/Universal’s feature film retool of the crackling BBC TV mini-series State Of Play had the kind of pedigreed cast and production values that screamed this is a cut-above kind of pic. But the studio first had to buck the trend of complex and smart adult drama/thrillers not performing at the box office. (International did only $9.3M. Body of Lies was just $12.9M.) So Universal tried to sell State Of Play not as a political thriller but as a journalistic thriller along the lines of Absence Of Malice or All The Presidents Men. (I hear studio toppers had these oldies in mind when they decided to move forward on the pic in the first place — even though journos are even less popular than pols these days.) On Friday, State Of Play debuted to #2 but with only $4.6 million. It went up 28% for Saturday adding $5.9 million from 2,803 venues. So that’s an underperforming $14.1M weekend. Opening weekend gross outside of North America was $2M from 3 territories. Would original leading man Brad Pitt have made a difference in the film’s box office? Nah. Exit polling showed that the main reason moviegoers saw State Of Play was Russell Crowe (66%), followed by story (52%). With an “A-” Cinema Score, the audience breakdown was 55%/45% female/male, 75%/25% over/under age 35.

Coming in #3 was DreamWorks Animation/ Paramount’s Monsters v Aliens with $3.5 million Friday and $5.5 million Saturday from 3,662 theaters for another $12.9M weekend and new cume of $162.7M. In 4th place, Disney’s Hannah Montana, The Movie dropped a whopping -77% from its Good Friday opening for $4 million and earning $5.6 million Saturday from 3,118 plays and a $12.6M weekend (-60%) and new cume of $56.1M. Universal’s overperforming Fast & Furious with the original cast was No. 5 and earned $3.8 million Friday and $4.5 million Saturday from 3,674 runs for $12.3M weekend and new cume of $136.7M. Internationally, the street racing actioner looks No. 1 again this weekend with another $36M from 59 territories for a big overseas cume to date of $145 million.

That leaves Lionsgate’s latest Jason Statham actioner Crank 2: High Voltage to open a weak #6 with $2.7 million Friday and $2.4 million Saturday from 2,223 dates for just a $6.5M weekend. Meanwhile, in 7th place, Warner Bros’ R-rated mall cop comedy (and I use that term loosely because of the offensive date rape scene) Observe & Report is officially and mercifully dead with only a $4M weekend (-63%) from 2,727 theaters and paltry $18.6M cume.

In 8th place, Summit Entertainment’s Knowing finished the weekend with $3.4M from 2,408 venues for a new cume of $73.6M. DreamWorks/Paramount’s I Love You, Man was #9 with $3.3M from 2,202 dates for a fresh $64.6M cume. And, rounding out the Top 10 is Lionsgate’s The Haunting In Connecticut with $3.1M from 2,255 runs for a new cume of $51.9M.

This looks like another powered-up weekend at the box office with $112M, up 19.7% from last year.

68 Comments

redmenace • on Apr 18, 2009 6:25 am

He’s the male version of Hannah Montana…I mean Miley Cyrus.Hopefully, he’s smart enough to milk this thing for all it’s worth, and not try to grow up and be taken seriously like all the Disney Factory starlets.And Nikki, those director didn’t take Leonardo DiCaprio to the next level, that he did all on his own.

Sia • on Apr 18, 2009 7:02 am

Leo did do it all by himself. I think Leo has talent and well Zac has ? I still don’t know haha

Mouse-Averse • on Apr 18, 2009 7:07 am

I think that redmenace has hit the nail on the head.

Mr. Efron’s ego seems out of control. Sure, he was OK in ‘Hairspray’, and the snippet of HSM2 that I saw revealed an ability to (slightly) rise above the dismal Disney treacle that he was performing in. But he has not really shown any capacity as a leading actor, as opposed to a sparkling-looking merchandising icon.

For his own sake, I wish that those around Mr. Efron (especially his parents) would help him see that the money he has earned affords him the chance to take some time off, get some serious acting training, and then leverage a move into adult roles. But I’m sure that ‘Mickey the Un-Mouse’ and the others at CAA will be content to milk the cash cow dry and then cast Mr. Efron off as dross.

This cynical, derivitave movie does nothing more than attempt to exloit all of the marketing that Disney has already done on behalf of the HSM franchsie. And they’re lucky to open on a weekend without any other competition in the light comedy genre.

jake • on Apr 18, 2009 7:09 am

I’m so happy for the success of 17 again, but I can’t help but feel they would have had even more success had it opened in the summer when kids could watch it on the weekdays — now they are in school. But this is not just a movie for kids, its for adults as well and rottentomatoes gave it a fresh rating as well – so it’s getting great reviews. Hey, Ryan Gosling came from Disney as well and Zac could find success as well.

This is still pretty good for state of play — isn’t this crowe’s best opening in a long time?

I don’t know why they made a crank 2 — I thought crank 1 was one of the worst movies I have ever seen and I’m a big fan of Jason Statham usually.

Is observe and report that bad? After the unfunny trailer, I still wanna see it because I love Seth Rogen — which still shows from last week that he can open a film. So planning to see it tomorrow

sf781 • on Apr 18, 2009 7:34 am

Keep in mind that ‘State of Play’s target audience doesn’t rush out to the theaters on opening weekend. A majority of them wait for home video. I saw a screening in Boston on Tuesday night and the theater was maybe three-quarters full (they usually have to turn people away from screenings).

It’s too bad, too. The film is terrific and my hat off to Kevin Macdonald and company for making a solid adaptation of a great BBC series. And thank the Gods above that Brad Pitt took a hike. He might be okay in the new Tarantino film, but he would have been miscast as Cal McAffrey.

Alboone • on Apr 18, 2009 7:54 am

Leo DiCRAPIO is truly one of, if not, the most overrated actors in the world right now. He has no skill to pull off modulation in exhibiting an emotion. Everything is extreme with him. I’ll give him the ‘Departed’ and ‘Gilbert Grape’, but that’s it, everything else he’s done is just crap acting. He can mug just as good as the rest of them, but that doesn’t make you great. I can name several performers that would just wipe the floor with him. Hirsch. Gosling. Franco. Lebeouf. Levitt. Even Channing Tatum has more complexity than this boy girl joke. Old Cougars like Nikki just want to fuck him therefore giving him a pass.

Guys like Efron and the twilight dude have chops, but they can’t succumb to the pretty boy machine. They need to challenge themselves and break the comfort zone at every turn if possible. The road to fulfilling success can be found in Johnny Depps career. Follow his example and you’ll be okay.

Jamie • on Apr 18, 2009 8:07 am

I think we need to give credit where credit is due. A lot of reviewers are saying the only reason 17 Again succeeds at all is because of the cast, especially Zac Efron’s charm, charisma and, yes, talent. I’m not a fan of the Disney machine but I’d agree with that assessment having seen 17 Again. The kid can actually act.

He doesn’t have the range of Leo DiCaprio yet but he also seems to be aware of that fact and working hard on it because he is showing obvious improvement picture to picture. I’m interested to see where he goes and hope, since he seems like a nice guy, that he succeeds.

Elis Cott • on Apr 18, 2009 8:19 am

I feel like a lot of people confuse the tween crowd’s opinion of Zac onto Zac’s opinion of himself which is both erroneous and unfair.

I find it hard to believe that Zac’s ego is out of control when his behavior clearly demonstrates the opposite. He avoids unwanted publicity whenever he can, seems genuinely grateful for every opportunity he has been afforded, and works very hard at becoming a good actor and challenging himself. Zac is concerned with his education and feels that the experience he is getting on-set is an important part of that education.

I thoroughly enjoyed 17 again (even went back for a second helping to try and catch more of the geeky references to other movies). I was a little surprised at how much it wasn’t a chick flick, and how adult certain parts of it were. Great movie – go see it!

mileshigh • on Apr 18, 2009 8:20 am

I thought “State of Play” was excellent and the exiting audience at my theater agreed (unlike the so-so reaction for “Duplicity”). This could do well over the next few weeks as adults go to the movies (unless adults flock to see “the Soloist”).

Glad “Observe and Report” bombed. Worst movie I’ve seen in a long time!

JD • on Apr 18, 2009 8:20 am

If it wasn’t for “Gilbert Grape” – where most of us discovered that Leo could definitely act – then he would be making his living appearing at “Growing Pains” conventions. Zac needs a movie where he can “act” as opposed to looking like a pretty boy for the tween set.

Personally, I don’t think it’s going to happen. I just don’t think Zac has the skill level and “fresh faces” in Hollywood grow old if you don’t have the talent to back it up.

pJ • on Apr 18, 2009 8:23 am

Finally saw Observe and Report.

There is no date rape scene. See the movie and understand the context. Normally, I don’t jump on Nikki’s opinions, but in this case, I believe she has it wrong.

And the movie is very funny. Certainly not mainstream, but that’s okay. Sometimes, we need movies that aren’t made for everyone.

Crank 1 is an amazing film. It’s tongue in cheek bad to the extreme… I think it’s by far Jason Statham’s best film. And why even start to speculate on Zac Efron’s demise? He just had a #1 movie and he came out of the world of, not TV, but MADE FOR TV MOVIES. Pretty cool feat. No I won’t be seeing 17 again, but cool nonetheless. It’s also not a body swap film… it’s a reverse age film, like peggy sue got married.

Quinn • on Apr 18, 2009 8:26 am

“State of Play” represents the once n for all death of the drama that is sold as “It’s Really a Thriller”. These films can only work at Oscar time. That was the case for “Michael Clayton” which itself was not a blockbuster. Oddly enough, the really great journalistic drama of our time never got released. “Nothing but the Truth” died when Yari went bankrupt. Anybody who got their collector’s edition Academy screener can tell you that not only would it have been a nomination for Beckinsale and a win for Farmiga, but it would have made money. Why? None of the stars went full freight and it cost under $10 million to ake.

Rob • on Apr 18, 2009 8:46 am

Jake, please stop this crap every week that every family movie would have done better had it opened in summer. Parents with kids are looking for entertainment ALL YEAR ROUND and titles like this do great BECAUSE the kids are in school and talk them up with their friends at school.

The summer release schedule is crammed with all-ages films – they all can’t open at the same time !

John • on Apr 18, 2009 8:58 am

Observe and Report is not bad at all, although its far from a masterpiece. It seems that the author of this website really, really dislikes everything that comes from Judd Apatow or Seth Rogen.

This site still has the best and most honest box office analysis though, so her personal taste is just something I ignore.

Leland • on Apr 18, 2009 9:21 am

@Jake: Yes, Observe and Report is just as bad as the trailer makes it look, possibly even worse. 17 Again was funnier, as was Monsters V. Aliens.

Zac will have a solid career. He’s a smart guy, made the perfect post-Disney step with 17 Again and if he turns in a solid performance with the Orsen Wells flick… well, he’s in.

As for Crank 2… It was 10 times more ridiculous than the first one… in a good way. I thoroughly enjoyed it just like I did the first one. Too bad it opened so poorly.

martin E • on Apr 18, 2009 9:33 am

The R-rated action movie seems to be collapsing. (I hope not, but then again…)

Anybody care to warrant a guess as to how PELHAM 1 2 3, PUBLIC ENEMIES and BASTERDS will do?

Percy • on Apr 18, 2009 9:39 am

What happened to Russell Crowe? He used to be a sure-thing at the box office. The last hit he had was American Gangster and that was largely due to Denzel. Not even his big collaboration with Leo DiCaprio could garner any heat. It also seems like he hasn’t delivered a powerhouse performance in a long time either. If his massive Ridley Scott-directed Robin Hood movie fizzles his name may officially be mud in that town.

Oh, and Nikki, stop whining about the alleged date rape scene in Observe & Report. The girl was inebriated but conscious. Halfway through she encouraged Seth Rogen not to stop. After the movie drops out of the Top 10 altogether next week please don’t use what you misinterpreted as happening in one throwaway moment as justification for its plunge down the charts. It was a really brutal dark comedy that has “cult sensation” written all over it. It certainly wasn’t a movie for people who like sitcom humor, so I can understand why the Judd Apatow crowd was nonplussed by it.

T&L • on Apr 18, 2009 9:42 am

I honestly believe State of Play would have done much better with Pitt than Crowe and with Norton instead of Affleck. I for one would have gone to see it and I know many more that would have too but now we will never know. International box office numbers should be interesting. A true movie star, like Brad Pitt, would have probably taken this movie to another lever. Again, I believe Universal made a huge mistake and yes I’m a Brad Pitt Fan.

By the way, I took my kids to see 17 Again and I thought it was cute nothing major but cute enough to enjoy it.

Kathleen P. • on Apr 18, 2009 10:21 am

I think you’re wrong about State of Play, Nikki. Pitt would have brought in bigger numbers especially paired with Norton. The reviews are mostly middling and remember many reviews are boosting its rating because it’s all about the media’s favorite topic – itself. The biggest complaint about it has been the script which is why Pitt rejected it and, my guess, the real reason Norton found an excuse to exit as well. Universal just HAD to push this thing despite the strike. They continue to try to paint Pitt as the villain instead of the real villain – their own greed.

Anonymous • on Apr 18, 2009 10:33 am

“What happened to Russell Crowe?”

He got fat. People don’t like change.

Darius • on Apr 18, 2009 10:47 am

Nikki, we get it, you only like vanilla humor that doesn’t push the envelope and you think there should be limitations and restrictions on which routes comedy can travel. You’re probably the type of person who would boo a stand-up comedian who told an off-color joke that was rife with political incorrectness. I thought you were hipper than that.

Sometimes when ghastly things are viewed through a humorous prism they get turned on their head and the power they wield in the real world is mitigated. I don’t understand why comedy is the one field of expression where people demand boundaries must exist. Maybe it’s because people are just overeager to feign moral outrage and righteous indignation so they’re looking to be offended by anything that presents itself. The real joke here is that we’re even having this conversation because as countless others have pointed out, no actual date rape took place in the now-infamous scene in question. I actually thought the only copout on the filmmakers’ behalf during the course of the movie was that they flirted with insinuating this but didn’t have the fortitude to actually commit. That would’ve taken real guts, and real comedic talent to pull off in a defensible way.

moviefan • on Apr 18, 2009 10:53 am

T&L, why don’t you see State of Play and actually determine whether you think it would have been better with Pitt. Even Macdonald agreed Crowe is more right for the role.

I saw it yesterday with the largest opening day crowd I’ve seen in my theater complex for an adult movie since Gran Torino. I’m not saying it’ll do numbers like that, because it won’t, but it is a solid thriller with a great cast and Crowe was excellent, as were Mirren, McAdams and Bateman. Ben Affleck was even quite good in a role that is right for him.

I do get a little tired of the ‘underperforming’ comments you read in these analyses. The demographic these movies are aimed at generally do not go to the theater on opening weekend and I think State of Play will have legs because of very good reviews and word of mouth.

Kathleen, Pitt may not have liked the final script but that doesn’t mean that this version is not a cracking good thriller, it is. I saw and loved the BBC mini-series and yes, this has changed and been condensed, but it is a very good movie.

Anonymous • on Apr 18, 2009 11:09 am

The idea that Zac Efron, who I liked quite a bit in Hairspray (I don’t have kids so have not seen any of the HSM trilogy) has made a “major step towards adult stardom” is publicist’s poppycock, pure and simple. I have nothing against the kid, and wish him well, but the hyperbole displayed in some of the above posts is mind-numbing.

Beyond that, the real problem with this movie is the hackneyed regurgatation of hidebound, high-concept effluent that the über-hack Burr Steers has heaved onto thousands of multiplex movie screens. Judging from this original-idea-free movie, combined with the too-low-to-measure quality of his previous magnus-opus, Igby Goes Down, it is no wonder that Steers is desperately trying to grab onto Zac Efron’s coattails.

Tina • on Apr 18, 2009 11:45 am

Zac’s acting is no worse than Brad Pitt acting and he’s 25 years younger. If Pitt can make it on looks alone… Zac should have no problem coasting on his looks, too.